An Unlikely Match
by Waylink
Summary: What happens when Percy figures out that Annabeth is cheating on him with a man from the mortal world and a new camper shows up? Does he remain loyal to Annabeth or will he find someone else?
1. A new face & a betrayal

_AN- Hello this is my first fan-fiction, so it may seem a little rough and i may not be the best writer, but please give it a shot and let me know what you all think._

Chapter 1: A new face & a betrayal

**Percy's POV-**

I stood there, shell shocked at what i am seeing, Emails to Annabeth from some mortal were open and on the screen of her laptop. He was talking all sweet and calling her babe, I was wishing...no praying that what i was seeing was just some twisted joke that Aphrodite was playing just for her entertainment. That is when Annabeth walked into the room and noticed me looking at the Email "Oh gods Percy its not what it looks like h-" I cut her off before she could say more "WHAT IS IT THEN, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE CHEATING ON ME WITH SOME MORTAL!" I shouted angrily, and the ground rumbled roughly. I couldn't believe what was happening in front of me, the one girl that I fought two wars for and even fell into Tarturus for was cheating on me...with a mortal. "Percy please I-" She tried but i wasn't having any of it "I guess i'm not good enough for you Wise girl, I only fought two wars and fell into Tarturus for you, but that doesn't compare to what that mortal can do, I'll take my leave now" I said in a broken tone. Leaving a small velvet covered box next to the laptop and bolting out the door with tears streaming down my face, I ran for what seemed like hours not caring about anything, thinking back to everything that had happened in the last 24 hours.

**Flashback-**

I stood there panting heavily as i held the Nemean lion pelt in my battered hands. Tracking down the was tough, but not nearly as bad as having to fight the thing with only a sword and water considering its indestructible pelt and massive size. Did i mention that i was alone as well, whelp it am made things much more annoying, nobody else to take advantage of the vulnerable mouth of the beast as i defended. Just me and my wits, but i had somehow managed it knowing that i had a home and friends to return to, not to mention one special blonde and grey eyed girl as well. I capped riptide and put it in the pocket of my torn and ripped up jeans as a short twelve year old girl and a taller woman flashed in front of me. "Lady Artemis, Lady Athena" I said bowing "Hello Perseus, i see you have found your target, it only took a month though" Artemis said smugly " What did you expect from a boy that has no idea how to hunt and little more than a general direction" I stated simply, but rather annoyed at her smug look "You did well Perseus, most would have given up on the first couple of days" stated Athena. "Admitting defeat was simply not an option for me Lady Athena, when i asked for your blessing and said i would do whatever task you gave me and i meant it" I said earning a small smile from the Goddess of Wisdom "Then you now have my blessing Perseus..." i smiled widely before she narrowed her gaze and said "but warned if you ever harm her in any way, you will not live to regret it" She stated firmly. " I swear on the Styx that i will not harm your daughter intentional Lady Athena" I swore seriously, thunder rumbling above sealing my oath. Athena smiled at this and Artemis looked surprised, i fought hard to hold back a grin, then the Wise Goddess asked me a question i didn't expect " May i see the ring Perseus?" She asked curiously. I smiled as i pulled out a small velvet box and opened it, revealing a ring with gold and silver intertwined bands with a Diamond in the center surrounded by a swirl of sea green and grey. Athena's eyes went wide when she looked at it, then she smiled "she will love this Perseus" the goddess said and my smile widened at this, thinking that if her mother like it then the likelihood of her liking it was good.

"I sure hope so, she means the world to mean and i want to show her that" i said happily "Then let us not hold you any longer Perseus, I'm sure you want to get back to Camp and let her know that" Athena said as she rested her hand on my shoulder and i was back at camp a second later, or at the entrance i should say. It was morning considering the sun was rising and the camp was buzzing with campers leaving the camp fire after eating to go practice there combat skills. I didn't see Annabeth which i found strange, but i shrugged and i saw a boy that i knew from the Athena cabin and i asked him if he knew where Annabeth was. The boy went wide eyed as he recognized me and said that she was back at the cabin and quickly walked away, whats with him i thought as i made my way to the cabin and knocked. I didn't get a response so i opened the door and walked in and that is where it started...

**End of Flashback-**

I was so distracted that i hadn't noticed that i was now in a forest around camp and ran full tilt into a tree, almost knocking myself out. My head hurt bad and my vision was blurry as i sat there waiting for my vision to clear when i heard a scream, my head shot up along with the rest of my body as i looked around for the source of the scream. That is when my eyes locked onto a teen-aged girl running from my old pal, the Minotaur, without thinking i ran straight towards the Minotaur and right pass the girl. The Minotaur recognized me instantly and roared in anger as he swung his axe at me, aiming to cut me clean in half but i slid into a baseball slide at pulling out riptide and severed the tendon on his knee as i slid between his legs. Once again the big bull roared, but in pain as it clutched his now useless knee, as i stood up and began slashing at the handicapped monster's back. The Minotaur quickly got over the pain in his knee before turning around swinging its axe wildly hoping to catch me, but i ducked under his swing and plunged riptide hilt deep into its chest. As the monster dissolved into dust i capped riptide, and looked around to find a wide eyed and scared girl looking right at me. I had to remind myself to breath when i looked at her, she had long, vibrant red hair ,and strangely enough, ruby red eyes to match. She was kind of short compared to me, considering i was 5'10 and she looked to be around 5'3 or 5'4, and even though her face was spotted with dirt i could tell she was beautiful.

"Are you ok?" I managed to say regaining my composure, she looked terrified but replied "I think so, but who are you and what was that...thing" she said the last part in a quiet and scared voice. "I am Perseus, but call me Percy i don't like using my full name sounds to formal, and that thing was a creature called the Minotaur" i said calmly watching the girl's eyes go wide with shock. "You mean like the G-G-Greek my-mythical creature" she stuttered. She knew a little bit of Greek it seemed, which would probably make this easier on her i thought "yes, but before i explain any further, could i ask your name?" i asked curiously, she hesitated a little bit before she said " Ruby...my name is Ruby."


	2. Child of Flame

_AN- I'll try and make the chapters a little bit longer every update, and hopefully get better at writing lol, I do not own any of the content used here, all rights go to the author of the original story_

Ch 2 Child of Flame

**Percy's POV**

Well that is a fitting name, considering the bright red hair and ruby red eyes. "That is a good name" I said smiling. Ruby smiled "thank you, what is your name?" she asked with curious eyes. "My name is Perseus Jackson, but please call me Percy, Perseus feels a bit too formal to me" I answered, still smiling for some unknown reason. "Nice to meet you then Percy...… but where are we exactly?" she asked while her eyes were looking around for some landmark. I took a minute to look around and noticed we were actually a few miles away from the camp.

"We are in the forest that is surrounding a camp for people like us" I explained. She looked at me strangely then asked "what do you mean "like us." "Well considering you saw the Minotaur and it was actively chasing you, I believe that you are a demigod like me" I said, watching her as she looked confused. "A child of a mortal and a god, for example me, my mother is a mortal and my father is Poseidon, god of the sea" her eyes widened in shock "that explains why I have never seen my mother" she said sadly as her head drooped, looking at the ground. "I felt the same way too, but you'll be able to see your mother soon, once she claims you at camp, speaking of which we should probably head back there now" I said while patting her head. Ruby lifted her head, looking at me with what seemed to be a look of hope and asked in a quiet voice "do you know who my mother is?" I took a moment, thinking of all the goddesses I knew and said "I might, but do you know of any kind of unusual power or trait you have, it will help in figuring out who your mom is" I explained.

**Ruby's POV**

Could he actually know who my mom is? I've always wanted to meet my mother, wondering what she looked like and just wanting to know that I had a mother that loved and cared for me just like my father did. Thinking back there was an incident that I never understood, my dad had just pulled out a fresh tray of homemade cookies and set them on the counter, without thinking I grabbed one and the side of my arm touched the extremely hot tray, but oddly enough I felt no pain or burn. "Heat doesn't seem to affect me like it did other kids, also is it strange that I find it comforting to have a fireplace near when sleeping?" I asked nervously. Percy's eyes went wide before he asked me something strange "could you smile again?" Though I didn't understand why he would ask me to smile, I smiled at him and his jaw dropped before he said "I've got an idea, but it may not be right considering she is a maiden goddess with no known children" he explained in shock. "Who?" I asked pleadingly, almost desperate to know who my mother was.

**?'s POV**

I sat there looking into the fire and smiled, thinking that if I could have asked for anyone better to figure out who my daughter was. Maybe it was time for me to visit my daughter and the hero that I greatly respected.

**Percy's POV**

No way…..her mother can't really be her can it? As if on cue a column of fire appear right next to me and Ruby, leaving behind a familiar little goddess behind. I immediately bowed to her "Lady Hestia" still wondering if she was really Ruby's mom. "No need to bow to me Percy, you have done enough for me" the little goddess said with a warm smile on her face, that looked extremely similar to Ruby's smile. "And yes, Percy your guess was correct, you are a little sharper than most give you credit for" the goddess said warmly. I think my jaw literally hit the floor considering both Ruby and Hestia laughed for a good minute before Ruby asked me "What has you so shocked Percy?" I quickly picked my jaw up from the floor before looking at her "This is your mom Ruby, Lady Hestia goddess of the hearth" Her eyes teared up before she turned to Hestia and asked "Are you really my mother?" her voice wavering as she did. Hestia smiled as she changed from her usual eight year old form to a more mature one and said "yes Ruby, I am your mother" holding her arms out to hug her now crying daughter. "I've wanted to see you ever since I was a little girl" Ruby whimpered as she continued to cry in her mom's arms. "I know you have child and so have I, but sadly the ancient laws have prohibited me from visiting you sooner" The goddess explained soothingly. I couldn't help but smile at the reunion before me, happy to see that the one goddess i respected most was the mother of Ruby. "As long as I can see you more from now on its fine, I'm just so happy to see you" Ruby said, while whipping the tears from her face and looking up to her mother with a smile.

Hestia smiled warmly at her daughter before looking over to me "Percy, when you take her back to camp I will claim her immediately and more than likely there will be a council meeting called; will you come with Ruby to help me explain to the council?" Without hesitating I agreed "absolutely Lady Hestia, considering Ruby is now a friend of mine and that you are the goddess that I respect the most, I'll aid you in whatever way possible." She looked a little shocked before flashing that signature warm smile she was known for and said "thank you very much Percy, its good to know that my daughter has a friend like you" I smiled and replied "It's good to know that my friend has a mother like you."

Ruby, still hugging her mom tightly, looked at me and asked "Why would there be a meeting called because she claimed me?" Turning my sight from Hestia to Ruby I said "Its not everyday that a maiden goddess claims a child as her own, the council will want answers, speaking of which" looking back at Hestia "Are you still a maiden or did you do something similar to Athena?" I asked curiously. The maiden frowned "Its rude to ask a women of her maidenhood Percy" my eyes widened before I hung my head in shame "sorry Lady Hestia, should have worded that better" she chuckled lightly "Its fine Percy, you were more polite about it than what Zeus will be" I shivered at the thought before she continued "but I did something similar to Athena."

"So Ruby just popped out of your head?" I asked confused only for Hestia to laugh and Ruby's eyes to bug out of her head. "What?!" The red haired teen exclaimed causing her to laugh even harder. The goddess laughed for at least a good minute and a half before she was able to calm down and answer me clearly, but still chuckled as she did "no Percy, she was born from the Hearth." I raised an eyebrow "didn't even know that was possible, but hey the more you know" I said shrugging.


	3. The Council

_AN- Hey everyone, I'm gunna try and make this chapter a little lengthy and clear up some plot mishaps that I've noticed so hopefully it will answer some of your questions if you have any, but anyway enjoy._

**Percy's POV**

At first I thought it was kind of odd that someone could be born out of a fireplace, but then again I've seen some pretty strange things because of my Greek heritage. Although it is pretty odd that I had just referred to Ruby as a friend even though we just met, but she didn't seem to mind. "You two should probably be heading back to camp-" when Hestia said the word camp all of the sadness and frustration seemed to hit me like a truck going a hundred miles per hour without slamming on the break. It was almost impossible to hold back the sudden emotions, but I managed to stop from crying. Apparently my change of mood was noticeable considering Hestia looked at me sympathetically before she untangled herself from her daughter and walked over to comfort me. The goddess managed to calm me down, which was one of the things that I liked about her, the ability to comfort all of those around her. "Do you think you will be alright going to camp, you do not have to if it will upset you." Hestia asked. "I'll be alright, we should be going it will be dark soon" I replied calmly, noticing that the sun had begun its descent. "Very well then, I can flash you both to the edge of the camp if you would like" she offered, and realizing just how tired my legs were from running for several miles straight, I accepted gratefully "That would be very helpful Milady." She smiled and turned to her daughter and gave her another hug "We will meet again shortly Ruby, I love you" She said. Ruby looked up to her and replied with a big smile "I love you to mom" and after a warm smile in reply, the goddess flashed both me and Ruby to the border of the camp. "Follow me Ruby" I told her and she nodded in reply and followed me to the entrance of camp, where every camper was gathered listing to Charon as he was speaking about some search party. It took everything I had to stop myself from turning and running in the opposite direction when I noticed the blonde in the front of the group of worried campers. Thats when they all noticed me and Ruby walking towards the camp.

**Ruby's POV**

When all the campers turned and looked at Percy, they all had a look of relief on their faces, but confused when they noticed me standing behind him nervously. I never liked crowds and was very shy when it came to being looked at by so many people. My eyes almost bugged out of my head when a half man half horse creature came galloping towards me and Percy. He hugged Percy hard as he managed to choke out the words "Need...air...Charon." Charon quickly released him from the vicegrip of a hug as he quickly apologized "sorry Percy, got kind of worried and was just about to send out a search party after you." he coughed a little before he said "you're fine Charon" and then all the campers reached us, and Percy seemed to be happy. That is until a blonde girl with grey eyes ran up to him and hugged him, he tensed up noticeably. "I'm sorry Percy, please forgive me!" the girl pleaded asall the campers looked confused while Percy got out of the girl's arms. "I don't know if thats possible right now Annabeth, I fought two wars to protect you, even fell into Tartarus with you, and was only gone for a month doing a mission for your mother to gain her blessing before asking you to marry me, only to find that you were cheating on me with some mortal, maybe later on I will be able to forgive you, but will not be able to see you the way I used too" he said in a heart broken tone. I was stunned by the encounter, _"Tartarus was the worst part of the Greek underworld right, and what was this about two wars, who is Percy exactly?" I thought_. Before anyone could respond, a girl with furious blue eyes and black hair bellowed "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HIM" at the now crying girl named Annabeth. The campers began to mutter among themselves before they fell silent as they looked at me, to which I shrunk back before realizing there was a holographic red fireplace above my head.

**Percy's POV**

When all the murmurs stopped I looked up from the now crying girl in front of me to the campers and followed their gazes and discovered that Ruby had been claimed. "This is Ruby, daughter of Lady Hestia" I stated so that everyone could hear. Just then a column of fire appeared revealing Ruby's mother, everyone bowed to the goddess "lift your head Perseus you have no need to bow to me, the same goes for you Ruby, but like I predicted earlier, Zeus has called a meeting on Olympus." Both of us nodded our heads before we were flashed to the center of the throne room of the gods, who all held curious faces, except for Zeus who looked angry. _"Great now here comes the fun part, dealing with a mad Zeus" _I thought before noticing Athena walking towards me, shrinking down to normal human size as she did. My head drooped as she spoke "I am deeply sorry for my daughter's foolish actions Perseus." I shook my head knowing that she had no need to apologize for her daughter "you have nothing to apologize for Lady Athena, your daughter's choices are her own, she may date whomever she wants too, I hold no ill will against you." Athena looked shocked, but before she could reply the loud sound of a trident slamming the ground caught everyone's attention.

**Poseidon's POV**

To be quite honest I was rather annoyed when Zeus call this meeting, that is until Hestia flashed in with my son and some girl with red hair and eyes to match them. Though what really caught my attention of the look of my son's eyes, deep sadness and hurt replaced his usual cheerful look. When Athena apologised to him for her daughter's actions and when he explained that it wasn't her fault and that Annabeth could date whomever she wanted angered me. Materializing my trident and slamming it into the ground I angrily asked "what happened between my son and your daughter Athena?" before my rival could respond the person I thought the least likely to defend her stated "she cheated on me with some mortal father, but do not get angry at either of them, nothing good will come of it." To say the least, I was shocked to see my Percy defend Athena, I tried to argue, but one look from my son told me that he did not want to discuss the topic any further "alright my boy" I sighed in defeat. At this Zeus cleared his throat signaling that the meeting was underway, and Hestia hugged the girl who I had forgotten was there and walked to sit down on her throne, leaving Percy and the girl standing before me and the rest of the council. Seeing Hestia hug the girl caught my interest as I was now curious as to who she was when Zeus dropped a bomb "Hestia, is this girl really your child?"

**Ruby's POV**

After the god, who I presumed was Zeus asked my mother if I was really her daughter, the whole room erupted into chaos. All the gods and goddess shouting their questions at one time, apparently in a competition over who can be the loudest before Zeus bellowed "SILENCE!" The sudden outburst caused me to jump in fright, I was never really fond of shouting or any other loud sounds like lightning. Thankfully the room fell silent and my mother replied calmly "yes, she is my daughter, her name is Ruby." Zeus looked angry for a moment before Percy asked for permission to speak, and he nodded stiffly to the demigod. "If I may Lord Zeus, please do not be angry with Lady Hestia, she has done something similar to Lady Athena and is still a maiden" Percy explained in a respectful tone. Zeus glared at Percy "please elaborate further Hero of Olympus" he demanded in a calm but still angry voice. _"did I hear him right, Hero of Olympus?" _I mentally noted to ask him or someone else exactly who he was and what he has done to earn such a title before he continued "Ruby was born from the hearth and not from Lady Hestia herself, similar to the way Lady Athena has had her children from her mind." Zeus looked away from Percy to my mother "is what Perseus says true Hestia?" he asked still angry. "Yes Lord Zeus, what Perseus said is true, I am still a maiden" she replied, which seemed to calm the king of gods down a little as he looked at me while thinking to himself. "Very well then Hestia, I accept your explanation" he said calmly as he seemed to let go of the anger. My mother let out a sigh of relief at his response "thank you Lord Zeus" she said gratefully. For the first time since we all got here, I looked around at all the gods and goddesses who all looked at me with smiles on their faces for some reason unknown to me. I soon got an answer to why they were smiling when a god that seemed to be a large blonde teen with an ipod in his hand look over to my mother "well if you get past the fiery hair and red eyes, she looks a lot like you Hestia, and even a bit taller than you" he said smirking at the last part. The whole council roared in laughter at this surprising me and causing me to smile a little. After the Olympians calmed down a little, the man that had spoken earlier to Percy and Athena said "for once Apollo you were actually funny" this caused the teen god Apollo to flash an overly bright smile and respond "see Uncle, I told you that some of my jokes are good." _"Uncle? does that mean he is Poseidon, well considering his sea green eyes and the trident he is most likely" _I thought before beginning to recognize all the other Olympians

**Percy's POV**

I laughed at what Apollo had said about Ruby being taller than her mother and smiled at his father's comment over Apollo being funny sometimes. Before I knew it the council was back to normal with the usual bickering of the Olympians, and Zeus realizing this decide to end the meeting. "Unless anyone has anything to add on this topic, this meeting is dismissed" the king of the gods said and looked around to see if anyone had anything to say, when no one spoke he and his wife flashed out along with most of the other Olympians. Athena, Hestia, and my dad stayed and stepped off their thrones as they shrunk down to mortal size to talk to me and Ruby. I smiled at my father and gave him a hug as he approached me "hey dad, good to see you again" he returned the hug "and it is good to see you as well, I'm sorry to hear about you and Annabeth and it still angers me, but I'll not mention it to Athena since you are so forgiving" he stated sadly, but still an underlined tone of anger in his voice. "Thank you dad" I said smiling, he seemed to perk up a bit when he saw me smile "unfortunately I must go son, some matters have risen in Atlantis and I must tend to them" he said frowning a bit. "Ok then dad, goodbye" hugging him as I said goodbye "goodbye son" he said smiling before he flashed out leaving behind a thin mist of water vapor. Seeing my father flash away, Athena came over to talk to me "thank you for defending me earlier Perseus, your father is quite a force to be reckoned with and I, myself had no way of defending against what my daughter has done to you." To be honest I was a little taken aback at Athena's statement before I composed myself and respond with a smile saying "no need to thank me Lady Athena, it wasn't right for my father to be mad with you, considering it was your daughter's choice not yours." She smiled a small smile before she frowned saying "my daughter is a true fool for doing what she has done, but there is nothing that can be done about it now, the final choice now lies with you Perseus." I nodded knowing what she meant "I shall be taking my leave now, goodbye Perseus" the goddess said. "goodbye Milady" I said while bowing, and in a flash of light there was only me, Ruby, and Hestia still present in the throne room. I walked over to join them and Hestia smiled at me "thank you for your help in the meeting Percy, it means a lot to me" the goddess said making me smile a bit "it was my pleasure Milady, I would help you anytime you would require my assistance." Hestia's smile grew when she heard me and looked at Ruby then to me. "Now that the council issue has been solved, you two should be returned to camp, I trust that you will help my daughter to settle in at camp?" she asked, nodding in agreement "yes I will Lady Hestia." The goddess smiled warmly and hugged Ruby before they exchanged their goodbyes and she flashed out in a column of fire, followed shortly by me and Ruby. We reappeared back at the entrance of camp were I thought _"now how do I deal with Annabeth" _tiredly.


	4. New Developments

_AN- Hey guys, if any of you read the reviews or noticed it during the last chapter, I made a mistake when typing a character's name swapping him with one from the underworld. Charon is suppose to be Chiron, I'll go back later and fix it, sorry for the mix up._

Chapter 4: New Developments

**Third Person's POV**

Several months pass and things seem to settle down at camp. Ruby gets accustom to the regular lifestyle at camp thanks to Percy, but still seems to be shy around the rest of the camp. The only person anyone has seen Ruby openly talk with is Percy as he showed her around the camp the first couple of days, and later when she started sitting at Poseidon's table during meal times. At first some people were startled when someone sat at another table, but when they saw the affect it had on Percy everyone accepted it. Ever since the heartbreaking event, Percy had never seemed the same, his usual carefree personality seemed to be replaced by a quiet and sad one. Even some of his close friends couldn't get him to cheer up, but when he was seen with Ruby he looked happy, and back to his old self. Apparently Percy had managed to forgive Annabeth, and said he is willing to be friends with her, but will not love her again. Annabeth didn't accept this at first and continuously tried to get him to take her back, and the only thing that got her to stop was her mother. Athena personally flashed down to camp during one of her attempts and scolded her daughter for her actions, this seemed to stop Annabeth and cause her to accept her mistake and just be friends. Though it was no secret that Annabeth still wanted Percy back, and when she saw how Ruby affected his mood and how often they were together, she became extremely jealous and angry at Ruby. Annabeth began pulling pranks on Ruby, trying to force her away from Percy, but this seemed to have the opposite effect, causing Percy to be protective when it came to Ruby. Annabeth's jealousy only grew as she began ramping up the degree of her pranks, going from small, harmless pranks to bigger, dangerous pranks.

**Percy's POV**

This whole pranking situation is getting out of hand, and its pissing me off greatly. I still haven't really been able to be my usual self ever since the break up, but Ruby has helped me deal with the situation and forgive Annabeth, She has become an extremely close friend of mine and knowing that someone is pranking her for no reason makes me want to strangle the person or persons behind the deeds.

**Ruby's POV**

Why is someone doing this to me? I haven't done anything to anyone, I haven't even really talked to anyone at camp other than Chiron and Percy. Although that one blue eyed girl with black hair seemed to be a friend of Percy's and seemed friendly enough, but before I got the chance to talk to her she had to leave. She was apparently part of Artemis' hunt and they were called to camp to aid in the search party that would have taken place if we hadn't shown up when we did. Anyway it still is a mystery to me as to why someone is doing these mean things to be. At first they were just small things that didn't really bother me, but now I'm scared to even take a step outside of my cabin. I wish that it was possible to just stay inside all day, but I had to attend all the regular activities each day. Though today it felt like something really bad was going to happen, I couldn't shake the feeling, but I couldn't just stay in my cabin because of it, so I got ready for today and went over the activities for today. First is breakfast, then sword, which I wasn't very good at, and archery training, one of my favorite activities, then it was on to other miscellaneous training drills. Physically preparing myself for some sort of harsh prank, I tentatively opened the door to my cabin and took a small step out expecting something bad, but wasn't expecting Percy to be in front of my cabin. "W..w..what are you doing here Percy?" is all that came out of my mouth, still a bit shocked as to why he was here. He had on a plain sea green T-shirt, some denim jeans, and a jacket considering it was rather cold out today. "I know about the whole prank thing and that its getting worse, I'm kinda worried about it so I wanted to walk with you to breakfast to make sure you were alright" he said with a little pink in his cheeks and rubbing the back of his head nervously. Feeling a bit of heat rush to my face I managed to stutter out "I..I..I'm..I'm fine Percy, but...but thank you." He seemed to calm down a bit at seeing me flustered at his explanation and flashed a smile that made my heart skip a beat. "Thats good to know Ruby, now shall we?" he said as he gestured in the direction of the dining area. With the heat still in my face, I nodded and started walking next to him towards our destination. Knowing that Percy was worried about me kind of comforted me, but I was still worried about the uneasy feeling of what may happen today.

**Percy's POV**

It was kind of nerve wrecking explaining to Ruby why I was in front of her cabin, but when she got flustered and blushed saying she was alright it put me at ease. when we started walking I noticed her furrow her eyebrows, like she does when she is worried about something . "What's bothering you Ruby?" I asked with concern in my voice, she looked up at me and said "I can't shake the feeling that something is going to happen today Percy and it bothers me a bit." Now I'm really worried considering I have the same feeling about today, and a feeling like this is never good for me. "Now that bothers me considering I've got the same feeling about today, but if it helps at all I'll stick around you as much as possible today" I responded. At this the little fiery haired girl's cheeks burned to match her eyes and hair, seeing this made me chuckle little bit. She suddenly became interested in her shoes as she walked and said "Th..that would he..help a little bit." Smiling, I pat her head and stopped her from walking right into another table, as we had arrived at our destination. I found her to be really cute when she was flustered like this. We sat down at the Poseidon table like usual and the nymphs served us some food.

**Annabeth's POV**

Seeing Percy walking next to that little red haired girl made my blood boil. She was blushing hard when Percy had to stop her from colliding into another table considering her head was down in a failed attempt to hide her blush from some earlier comment from Percy. I could tell that she liked him and that Percy may have similar feeling towards her, but I've got news for her, Percy belongs to me and me alone. I'm going to make her understand that she needs to stay away from him today.

**Ruby's POV**

Ughhhh that was so embarrassing! I must have looked so stupid just then, and I can tell that my face is beet red right now considering my face feels like its on fire. Me and Percy sat down at the Poseidon table and some nymphs served us some food, and I went to sacrifice some food to my mother when the ground suddenly punched me and my food went everywhere. Looking up to see who it was that tripped me, I was shocked to see a familiar blonde haired girl looking down at me grinning with sick satisfaction. "Listen here little girl you ha-" she never got to finish her sentence considering a plate of food smashed into her face causing her stumble backwards while letting out a small squeal. The whole dining area was quiet as everyone had stopped eating to look at the event that was unfolding directly in front of them. Annabeth looked stunned as she removed a blue pancake from her face...wait a blue pancake? Before I could think about why there was a blue pancake I felt someone pick me up off the ground and stood me up. Looking up to who helped me up, I saw a very angry looking Percy "ANNABETH!" he bellowed.

**Annabeth's POV**

_"Did someone just throw their plate of food at me?...Oh no"_ I thought as I pulled a blue pancake from my face and saw Percy pick up Ruby and stand her up right with a very pissed off expression on his face. There was nothing I wanted to do more than run in the opposite direction from Percy when he bellowed, the ground shook when he did so. I couldn't even respond before he said in a deadly calm voice "you're lucky that I chose to forgive you earlier, but if you lay another hand on Ruby; the Olympian Council won't be able to save you from my wrath." At this point my knees were shaking, I don't think I've seen Percy more angry than what he looked right now, his sea green eyes were dead serious. I didn't even respond as I bolted towards the Athena cabin.

**Ruby's POV**

The rest of breakfast was dead silent as everyone went back to eating, but not daring to speak. Me and Percy got some more food, sacrificed, and quickly ate before heading to sword training. To be quite honest Annabeth scares me greatly, and I had a hunch that she didn't like me all that much, but I didn't think it was that bad "Th...thank you for helping me out back there Percy" I said gratefully. He smiled at me and pat my head, which I blushed at but didn't say anything because I honestly like it when he does that, and said "no problem Ruby." I'm beginning to think that I really like him, but before I could think about him anymore before we arrived at the training yard. "lets spar a little bit Ruby" Percy said.

**Percy's POV**

Ruby's face paled when I told her that we should spar "B..Bu...But you're way better than I am!" she exclaimed. I shrugged "maybe, but that means that you can learn a lot better if you face someone more skilled than yourself" she was now white as a sheet of paper. "Trust me Ruby, you will get better with a sword like this, and I won't go all out on you" I promised and she seemed to calm down a little bit at this before she grinned evilly. _"Oh no" _I thought as it was now my turn to pale because I knew what she was going to say "Okay then Sea boy, if you get to train me in sword fighting, then I get to train you in how to use a bow properly." Who knew that this little shy girl could be so devilish "uhhh on second thought I'll just go set up some dummies to cut up" I tried while inching away from Ruby. "Oh no you don't Sea boy" she said with an evil smirk glued on her face, and thats when I bolted. I ran for my life as Ruby chased me in and around training dummies and surprised campers for at least a minute. She stopped chasing me and I thought that she had given up on the whole idea, but that hope was quickly dashed when a red arrow firmly pinned the hood of my jacket to the dummy I was currently standing in front of. My eyes went wide in surprise before I realized who it was that did this, she held her red and gold bow with a smirk on her face as she walked up to me. "You. Will. Let. Me. Train. You." Ruby said matter of factly while she dismissed her bow that she received from her mother. The bow now hung as an amulet around her neck, and she looked at me expectantly "ok ok you win" I said reluctantly, but theres not much I can do about it considering I couldn't touch the arrow without it burning me leaving me stuck here until she decided to take it out. Ruby smiled "see was that so hard Sea boy?" she taunted me in a playful mock voice "yea it was actually considering I'm hopeless when it comes to a bow, but anyway could you remove this arrow from my hood now please firefly?" I asked. She blushed at the nickname, but didn't say anything about it, and removed the arrow freeing me from the dummy. "Thank you firefly, now lets start training" I said playful tone, and Ruby blushed even harder as she nodded, keeping her head held down a little to try and hide her blushing.

**Ruby's POV**

I couldn't stop myself from blushing when Percy called me firefly, that was the first time anyone has ever really given me a nickname before and I really thought it was a cute nickname. I couldn't say anything before we got to the training area "take a sword off the rack over there that you think will be easy for you to use" Percy said as he gestured towards a rack of swords in the corner of the grounds with multiple swords of varying lengths and sizes. I took a moment to find a sword that was kinda short but long enough to count as a sword before turning back to Percy who had his own sword out, riptide was the name of the sword I learned. It was three feet long, pretty much double the length of my sword at a measly foot and a half, but I couldn't manage to wield a sword that was any longer without tripping or stumbling around because of the weight it implied. We started sparring and Percy quickly began pointing out things that even I didn't notice wrong, and I slowly began to improve. I wouldn't be a master sword fighter anytime soon, but I should be able to hold my own in a fight if need be within a week or so. Soon it was time for archery training "now lets see how bad you are with a bow Sea boy" I said with a smirk on my face as I gestured towards the archery range.

**Percy's POV**

_"Well this isn't going to be good" _I thought while saying "alright then firefly, prepare to be astonished by my 'amazing' archery skills" earning a blush and a laugh from Ruby.


	5. Demi-Guardians

_AN- Hey guys, please let me know what you all think of the story so far, cuz quite frankly, I don't know if i'm doing well with this at all, but anyway here is a new chapter enjoy._

Chapter 5: The Demi-Guardians

**Percy's POV**

It is well known that I am quite possible the worst archer on the face of the earth, and my current position only proves it. Standing here in what I thought was a comfortable shooting stance with a bow from the rack in the corner of the range. The moment I got into position Ruby immediately started barking at me telling me what was wrong with my stance and how to shoot properly. "No no no Percy your stance is terrible, straighten out your legs, keep them exactly shoulder width apart, stick your chest out a bit, keep your shoulders level with each other" were a few of the seemingly endless list of corrections that Ruby rambled off. I did as I was told till my usual comfortable stance changed into an almost unbearable one _"how does anyone shoot like this, this is so uncomfortable and hard to hold!"_ I thought. "Now notch an arrow, but do not let it fly" commanded the tiny, fiery haired general, following orders, I pulled out and arrow from the quiver strapped to my back, notched it, and pulled back. "Good, now hold it there, aim for the target ten meters down range, and fire once you're ready." She said _"alright, sounds easy enough, now focus on the target in front, aim…. and fire" _I thought and let the arrow fly.

Fortunately the arrow hit a bulls eye, unfortunately it was the bulls eye of a target fifty meters down range….and in a completely different range than mine. Ruby stood there next to me silent for a moment, and I almost bolted when she turned around with an angry expression on her face. My face paled, but before I turned around to run she burst out in laughter at my terrible display of archery, even the campers that were in the lane that my arrow landed in were laughing. "My gods Sea boy….I don't think I've ever seen…... someone this bad at…. archery before" Ruby said through the fit of laughter. "Sorry that I'm not a son of Apollo or naturally talented at archery" I grumbled as she continued to laugh and I quickly added"Don't forget that I'm the one that is training you in sword fighting, I might not hold back any next spar if you keep laughing." At this her face paled a bit and she stopped laughing all together before I started laughing.

"That wasn't nice Sea boy" Ruby pouted with a childish face, which I found cute "hey now, it was only fair for you laughing at my skill with a bow when I said nothing about your skill with a sword Firefly." Her eyes widened a little as she hung her head saying "sorry Percy" I gave it a moment before saying "you're alright Ruby, I didn't take offence to it Ruby" while messing with her hair a bit. She looked up at me with a smile as she fixed her hair before I heard a familiar voice taunt playfully "I think you two are cuter when you use the nicknames" before hearing a small uuff from behind.

**Ruby's POV**

When whoever it was taunted me and Percy, I blushed and immediately hid behind Percy, still not used to all the people around camp. I peeked around Percy to see who it was that had done the taunting when I saw a blonde boy with electric blue eyes holding his side as if he had just been elbowed by a girl that looked to be of Cherokee descent standing next to him. "sorry Pipes, just couldn't pass that chance up" the boy chuckled "very funny Jason, hey Piper" Percy said to the two of them. "Hey Perce" said the boy named Jason and the girl, Piper, said "Hello Percy, and hello Ruby" while leaning to the side to get a better look at me. "Hello" I responded in a quiet voice while retreating back a bit farther behind Percy, earning a chuckle from him. "Ruby this is Jason and Piper, two good friends of mine" he said as he, much to my discomfort, pulled me out from behind him to stand next to him.

"Hello Ruby, nice to finally meet ya" Jason greeted with a smile "Hello" I said again shyly. "Me and Piper here have heard about the pranks someone has been pulling on you, and we wanna help you out" Jason said kindly as Piper nodded in agreement. My eyes widened a bit before I smiled at them, grateful for their support, and Jason turned his gaze from me to Percy "Perce, me and Piper think we have an idea on who it is that is behind these pranks, but you probably have figured it out from the event at breakfast." Percy set his jaw as he asked angrily "Annabeth?" and to this Piper nodded saying "I went to talk to her afterwards and I heard some Athena children in the cabin talking on how they are going to put Ruby 'in her place' and Annabeth seemed to be approving several ideas for this." I shuddered at this, fearing what they planned to do, before Percy asked Piper "Could you give Annabeth and the rest of her lackies a message from me?" in a very calm voice. Piper nodded as Percy went on "tell them that if they continue their little 'prank' it won't end well for any of them." Just then a horn blew signalling that it was time to eat again "Do you mind if me and Pipes sit with you two at your table Percy, some of the Zeus kids erk me and the same goes for her?" Percy smiled and said "yes you two can, the more the merrier and at this point I don't think Chiron will say anything."

They both smiled and walk off hand in hand towards the dining area and I looked up at Percy "thank you for looking out for me Percy" I said shyly causing him to look down to me with his usual smile that always made me skip a beat and said "no need to thank me Ruby, you mean a lot to me and I don't wanna see anyone mess with you." I blushed at his statement, and so did he after he realized what he said "errr...uhhh...I mean…." he tried, but never finished because I hugged him.

**Percy's POV**

I lost all train of thought when Ruby hugged me after what I just said "you mean a lot to me as well Percy" she replied with her face buried in my chest, trying to hide her blushing face. I could feel myself blushing as well before hugging her back for a little "we should probably get going before Jason starts getting any strange ideas" I said chuckling slightly. We stopped hugging at this and she looked up, smiling "alright" she said still blushing a little from the recent event. We walked back to the dining area as Piper walked over to my table from the direction of the Athena table. Me and Ruby sat on one side across from Piper and Jason as nymphs began serving food as usual. After getting up and sacrificing some food "so based on the constant glares I'm receiving from the Athena kids, they didn't take kindly to my message?" I asked Piper, who simply smirked "lets just say they know that you know that they are behind the pranks, and they don't like that to much."

I just grinned evilly at this before we started having a regular chat and eventually we had all finished our food. "Oh crud" I said, realizing that I wasn't gonna be able to be around Ruby after this "What is it Percy?" Ruby asked from her position next to me. "I won't be able to be around you after this, I've got to go and help Chiron with something" looking from Ruby to Jason and Piper "can either of you keep an eye on her?" Ruby looked a bit frightened at this and Jason look disappointed "sorry Perce, I've got to do something as well" and Piper had the same look on her face "I can't either Percy." _"No no no this is not good, they are gonna pull something when Ruby is by herself"_ I thought as Ruby got my attention, she looked terrified, but said "I'll be fine Percy, don't worry about it" while putting on a determined look. Although I didn't like it, there was nothing I could say "Alright, but I don't like this" I said reluctantly while getting up from the table, but feeling a small tug on my hand. Looking back down I saw Ruby holding my hand while blushing, causing me to blush a little too "yes Firefly?" I asked causing her to blush even more. "G...G...Get back soon I..I still don't know many people and the Athena kids kinda scare me" Ruby said quietly, I smiled at her "I'll get back as soon as possible Ruby, and if the Athena kids do something to you, tell me and I'll take care of them" I said while patting her head, causing her to smile and nod. _"Those cursed Athena kids had better stay away from Ruby or they will have hell to pay" _I thought while walking to where me and Chiron were to meet.

**In the Athena cabin**

**Random child of Athena's POV**

That stupid child of Hestia has only made trouble for the Athena cabin since she got here, she was the reason why Annabeth couldn't get back with Percy because she was always with him. Whenever Annabeth tried to talk to Percy he was with her and from what Annabeth said, she was always telling him to forget about her and ignore her. Well after what we have planned for her tonight, she won't be a problem for Annabeth anymore and she will be able to get back with Percy, she deserved him, me and the rest of my siblings thought so too.

**Ruby's POV**

Ok so far so good, all of todays activities are finished, now all that's left is to go back to my cabin and sleep. I tried to walk back to my cabin alone, but I was too scared to, so I decided to wait and see if Percy came along. After about a half hour of waiting, it seemed like he wasn't coming so I began to walk back to my cabin. No sooner had I taken the first step someone grabbed my arms from behind and dragged me back towards the woods behind us. I let out a scream before a piece of cloth was put around my mouth and tied tight, stopping me from screaming any more as two more people came out of the woods to help the first person drag me back. The three boys stopped and tied me to a tree before several more people appeared out of the woods, all of which I recognized as children of Athena, and one blonde girl leading the bunch sneered "you have caused a lot of problems for me trying to get Percy back little girl, and for that you're going to pay."

At this point fear had a cold, firm grip as several of the Athenians brought out their knives and slowly began to approach me. I tried to move away, but my hands and feet were bound by rope and the bonds weren't coming loose anytime soon, so I let out one last muffled scream as I prepared myself for the pain of bronze cutting my skin. Just then the ground shook violently knocking a few of the gang to fall down while most managed to gain their balance. Before any of them could question what just happened a fist connected with the face of an Athenian boy, breaking his nose as blood spurted from it. Everyone looked stunned before I realized who it was "Percy!" I tried, but it only came out as a muffled noise. He glanced at me, fury exploded in his eyes as all the campers regained their bearings and charged Percy. One kid swung his dagger wildly at Percy, but he simply ducked under the swing and punched him in the gut, causing him to crumple to the ground holding his stomach.

The rest of the kids hesitated after seeing one of their siblings incapacitated so easily, giving Percy all the time he needed to make quick work of them. He looked like a demon as he tore through the Athena kids knocking out all of them before they could even do anything, except for Annabeth who simply stood there too scared to move. Once Percy knocked the last kid out, he slowly turned to Annabeth "I warned you Annabeth, now its time to pay" he said in a deadly calm voice before he charged her. Annabeth tried to defend herself with her dagger, but Percy was to fast for her to keep up with, he simply punched and jabbed at her till she finally fell unconscious, leaving her with a black eye and some bruises.

**Percy's POV**

I was so furious when I saw Ruby tied up to a tree and the Athena kids advancing on her with their knives drawn ready to start cutting her up. I almost lost it and quickly dispatched them all, knocking them out or incapacitating them, just then two flashes of light appeared and Athena and Hestia stood looking around at the event with questioning gazes before they saw me. Athena looked almost furious before I simply pointed to Ruby, then walked over and unbound her from the tree and removing the cloth from her mouth. "Percy!" she whimpered/screamed as she clung to me, and I hugged her back trying to comfort her. I looked up to see Hestia walking over to me and Ruby, and Athena glaring at her children then snapping, flashing all, but one still conscious boy, to their cabin.

"What happened here Percy, and why was my daughter tied to a tree?" Hestia asked as she wrapped me and Ruby in a hug. "How about you ask that stupid boy over there what he and his siblings were about to do to her" I said venomously towards the now cowering boy. Both Athena and Hestia turned on the boy with glares that could kill "What were you going to do Marcus" Athena questioned, then noticed the knife laying next to him. "Do not tell me that you and your siblings were going to harm Ruby!" She shouted causing the boy named Marcus to scramble back a few feet. "We were going to make sure that she stayed away from Percy so that Annabeth could get back with him like she deserves mother" Marcus said with a terrified look on his face as Hestia's hands lit on fire, Greek fire. "Annabeth no longer deserves to be with Percy, she lost that when she decided to cheat on him with a mortal, and just now she threw all hopes of ever getting close to him again with this little stunt you and your siblings tried to pull, because now I forbid Annabeth from ever seeing him, I am extremely disappointed with all of you" Athena said in a deadly serious tone as she flashed Marcus back to the cabin.

Just then Jason and Piper came crashing through the trees with frantic looks on their faces. "How did you two find us?" I asked them as they looked relieved to see that Ruby was ok "we went to see if Ruby had made it back to her cabin ok, but when we got there she wasn't inside, so we ran around till we heard some fighting and here we are" Jason said in one big mouthful. I smiled at them, happy to see that they were worried about Ruby enough to go and check to see if she was ok "we will discuss this matter shortly, but right now a meeting has been called, and we are all needed to attend" Athena said earning questioning looks from me and everyone else. Before anyone could question her as to why we were needed, she flashed all of us into the throne room on Olympus, in front of all the other Olympian gods and goddesses. Athena and Hestia both walked to their thrones as Zeus began to speak "there has been some strange occurrences involving monsters and a change in their behavior." Zeus saw the confused look on my face "we have gathered you demigods here to ask you if you would like to lead a new group that we will assign the task of dealing with these monsters and defending mortal towns that unclaimed demigods live in, and the name of this group of demigods will be the Demi-Guardians" he explained.

To be quite honest, I liked the idea and was willing to leave the camp to join this group, but I didn't want to leave Ruby behind or any of my other friends "are you considering me and the rest of my friends here?" Zeus, to my surprise, smiled and nodded his head, turning to Ruby "do you want to join this group?" I asked her, and she didn't even hesitate "yes, I don't like it at camp at all, especially after what just happened" she whimpered and buried her face in my chest, confusing most of the Olympians except for Athena and Hestia, which confused me to be honest. I looked over to Jason and Piper who nodded their heads in approval "Lord Zeus, my friends and I accept this offer to lead the Demi-Guardians." Zeus nodded his head "Very well then, I will now grant each of you a small crown to signify your ranks" the king of gods said as he snapped his fingers. _"Wait crowns"_ was all I was able to think before I felt a small weight appear on top of my head, I reached up and grabbed the object down to look at it.

To be frank I was awestruck, in my hands was a sea green crown with seashells running randomly through it, with a larger Sapphire in the center of the base. Looking over to see that Jason and Piper with looks of shock on their faces, Jason's crown was an electric yellow with bolts of lightning all over it with a Topaz in the center, Piper's crown was bright pink with a bunch of hearts and an Amethyst in the same place that mine and Jason's were. I had completely forgotten that Ruby still had her face in my chest before looking down to see her looking at her crown intently, her crown was a deep red with little flames of gold spotting all over it, and the gemstone in the center of her's was a Ruby, how fitting I thought before Zeus spoke again "these crowns will be your way of showing that you are the leaders of your group and will give each of you an increased control over your powers, tomorrow you will be sent back to camp to collect who you deem fit to join your group and will set out to Salt Lake City." _"Uh never been there before, wonder what we'll see out there" _I thought "now if anyone else has anything to add to this then this meeting is dismissed" no one said anything, causing Zeus and most of the Olympians to flash out.

The only Olympians that remained were Poseidon, Hestia, and Athena, My father walked up to me with a proud look on his face, then confused when he notice Ruby still hugging me. A smile stretched across his face "congratulation my boy, this is the first time any demigod has been appointed a leader of a group that is free of the camps, and it makes me proud to see that you are one of them" this caused me to smile at him "I'm glad that I can get out of that camp, it was getting boring, and not to mention I might have went off on an Athena kid if I didn't get out of there." His face frowned a bit "I heard what happened just now, and I'm glad you're out of there; sadly I must go again so goodbye my boy" I smiled again at him "bye dad." He looked at Ruby then to me, and winked, giving me a thumbs up, causing me to blush a little. Ruby didn't seem to notice thankfully, then Hestia and Athena walk up to me and everyone else "for now you all will stay at my palace for tonight before going back to camp tomorrow" Hestia explained. "After that we will help you pack and flash you all half way to Salt Lake, where you will make the rest of the trek on your own" said Athena before she flashed out, leaving all of us with Hestia.

**Ruby's POV**

My mother was the only Olympian left in the room with me and everyone else "Ruby, for you to go with them I will need to unlock one of your powers which has remained dormant" she said. "What power?" I asked curiously she smiled "the powers of the hearth, to create flame, and to heal, now follow me over to the hearth." At first I was a little reluctant to do so, because I would have to stop hugging Percy, hugging him comforted me and I honestly just enjoyed the feeling. Finally I detached myself from him and walked over to the hearth where my mother pulled a small flame out of the fire and turned to me. "Do not fear what I am about to do Ruby, the hearth would never harm those I do not will it too" She explained, but before I could question her she plunged the small flame into my chest. At first I thought it was going to hurt, but then I felt the warm, comforting feeling it brought instead of pain, looking down at my hand, where I felt a small warm feeling, and found a small fire resting in my hand. "Awesome" was the only thing I managed to say.


	6. Recruitment

_`AN- Hey guys, sorry about the gap between posts, this chapter was kinda difficult for me to put together in a way that made sense, anyway enjoy the chapter._

**Chapter 6: Recruitment **

**Ruby's POV**

After moving the small flame around my hand from finger to finger, I finally willed it to go out. "The Hearth has the power to harm as well as heal, this is determined by your will Ruby. If you decide that the flames should hurt then they will hurt, if you think they should heal they will heal" My mother explained to me. I smiled "thank you mom, I will use the power of the Hearth wisely" Hestia smiled warmly before turning to the others, motioning them to come over. After everyone was together "Right, now everyone hold hands and I will flash us to my place" Hestia told us with…..is that a mischievous smile? Before I caught on to what was happening Piper and Jason moved away from next to me, leaving me next to Percy and my mother. Jason was grinning evilly while Piper just smiled at me, then they held hands with each other and Hestia. Thats when it hit me and I started blushing furiously as was Percy, seems like he figured it out too. "Whats the hold up Perce" taunted Jason while grabbing his hand "wh..wha.. what are you talking about?" Percy tried.

"Hold hands now you two so that we can flash to my Palace" My mother said while grinning. I swear my face was multiple shades redder than my hair while I quickly grabbed Percy's hand and hung my head trying to hide my blush. "Aww you two look so cute like that" Hestia cooed, I swear she is acting more like Aphrodite right now, causing my face to redden even further if that was possible. "H..Hu..Hurry up and..and teleport us already m..mom" I managed to stutter out "alright, alright" my mom agreed, flashing us away in columns of fire.

**Percy's POV**

To be quite honest, I didn't really mind holding Ruby's hand, but it was rather embarrassing to hold her hand in front of her mother and Jason, though Piper not as much. Jason because he would taunt me about it later, and Hestia because Ruby was her daughter, Piper doesn't really say much about other people's business so she is alright. Before I could really say anything about it Ruby grabbed my hand, causing Hestia to coo like Aphrodite. "H..Hu..Hurry up and..and teleport us already m..mom" Ruby said to Hestia "alright, alright" she replied and flashed us out.

Looking around Hestia's Palace, it looked to be just a simple family house with a fireplace in the living room. There was a couch with several arm chairs in the center of the room surrounding a small table. It may have been the fact that this was the palace of the goddess of the Hearth, because I felt at home here even though this is the first time I've ever been here. This feeling made me miss my mother's apartment, I haven't really visited her in awhile so maybe I can see her before we leave for camp tomorrow. I was so busy looking at my surroundings and thinking about my mother that I didn't notice that me and Ruby were still holding hands and everyone was looking at us and grinning. This caused me to blush a little and let go of Ruby's hand, who was blushing furiously. I quickly asked "Hestia, if it is possible, could I visit my mother before we leave for camp in the morning, I haven't seen her in awhile and it would be nice to see how she is doing." Hestia smiled at me "yes you can Percy, I will wake you up before you all have to go to camp so you may visit her" I smiled gratefully "thank you very much Hestia."

"I don't think that me and Pipes here have met your mom Perce, mind if we tag along with you?" Jason asked "I would enjoy that, could we Percy?" added Piper. Now that they said something, they haven't met my mother "yes you two can come along" I answered. "C..Could I come too Percy?" I looked to my right to see Ruby looking up to me "you can too Ruby" I said smiling at her, earning a smile from the cute, little red head girl. After that we all sat down and talked a little about who we might take along if they were willing, we settled on asking Leo, the Stolls, Clarisse and her boyfriend Chris, Drew, and some other campers. "You should all head to bed now, you'll need some rest for tomorrow's journey" Hestia said and I agreed with her, considering I was tired from today's events. Hestia led us all to our rooms and once I walked into my room I instantly flopped down on the bed and fell asleep.

I woke up to someone nudging me on my side, looking up I saw that Ruby was trying really hard to wake me up by shoving my side. I was a heavy sleeper, but it was kinda funny watching her try and wake me up, she didn't even notice that I was awake till I started chuckling. "Morning Firefly" I said still chuckling, earning a blush and a smile "about time Sea Boy, you sleep like a log!" she exclaimed. "So I've been told, I'm going to hop in the shower now" I told her while getting out from under the covers, completely forgetting that I was shirtless. Sleeping without my shirt was a habit of mine, Ruby blushed furiously before turning away "w...wh..why are you shirt...shirtless" she stuttered. "Sorry, its a habit of mine" I said, blushing as well at this point. "A...alright..I'll leave now" Ruby again stuttered and rushed out of the room as I got up and walked over to the bathroom.

**Sally Jackson's POV (Percy's mom)**

I was sitting in the living room, folding some laundry, when I heard a knock at the door and Paul answering it. Paul called me to the door where I found my baby boy standing with three people I did not recognize, but that didn't stop me from rushing to hug Percy. "Its been forever since I last saw you Percy, and where is Annabeth?" I asked in curiosity, causing him to flinch a little at Annabeth's name. _"What happened there, don't tell me they broke up" _I thought "Hey mom, I explain in a little bit, but can we come inside?" Percy said. "Yes of course son, I just made some chocolate chip cookies so help yourselves" I invited while leading them to the living room, moving some laundry around to make room for everyone. The blonde boy and the Cherokee girl sat down on the couch next to each other, while Percy was standing eating a blue cookie. I then noticed the girl with bright red hair and eyes to match standing behind Percy shyly. "So Percy, who are your friends here?" I asked curious to find out who they were, especially the girl behind Percy. "The blonde sitting on the couch is Jason, and the girl sitting next to him is his girlfriend Piper" he explained "nice to meet you Miss Jackson" Piper and Jason greeted. I smiled at them "its nice to meet you two as well" then looked over to the girl still behind Percy "and this is Ruby" he said while moving the girl out from behind him. Now after getting a better look at her, she was pretty "h...hello" she stuttered shyly "hello Ruby" I greeted while smiling at her.

Ruby smiled a warm smile and sat down in the armchair close to the couch and Percy stayed standing, but moved behind his friends. Still curious about why Annabeth wasn't with him I asked "where is Annabeth, Percy?" Percy had a pained expression on his face before it was replaced by an angry one "she is not here with us because of what she did to me and Ruby mom." I glanced at the others to see that Jason and Piper both had angry looks, whereas Ruby had a scared one _"what did she do to them"_ I thought while motioning Percy to explain further. "First things first, I was gone for a month doing a mission for Athena in order to get her blessing to marry Annabeth, but when I returned to camp I found that she had been cheating on me with a mortal" he explained with a hurt expression, to which I gasped at what she did. Percy went on to explain how he met Ruby and what transpired in the months that followed and by the end I was disgusted with Annabeth, the fact that she was dumb enough to cheat on Percy then go as far as to blame Ruby for him not taking her back, and attacking her was outrageous. Ruby looked a little shaken about what Annabeth did to her and Percy placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, she looked up to him with a warm smile. I could tell that there was something a little more between them, but decided not to question any further.

"Well you all should be careful out there, its dangerous for demigods to be outside of camp by themselves" I cautioned them while we headed towards the door "we will mom, we are going to be bringing some more people along with us so it won't be just us four out there" my son explained. I smiled and pulled him back a bit whispering "that Ruby girl is pretty cute" he blushed a little bit confirming what I thought. "Come on mom" he whined causing me to chuckle a little as we reached the door, where I gave him one last hug "I love you Percy." He hugged me back "I love you too mom, it may be awhile before I am able to visit again"

"Alright son, be save" I told him, and looked over to Ruby giving her a wink, to which she looked confused then blushed like a tomato when she understood what I was getting at. With that all four of them vanished in columns of flame, shocking me a little bit.

**Ruby's POV**

Why would she wink at me...then I realized why she did and I felt heat rising in my face, before anyone could say anything about it we were flashed back to my mother's palace. "Welcome back everyone, I've made some breakfast for all of you, afterwards you should all leave for camp to recruit some new guardians" my mother explained warmly. We all ate our breakfast, talking about how we are gonna get to Salt Lake City and what we are going to do once we get there. We decided that we would set up camp on the outskirts of the city and that we would need tents of some sort, to which my mother help us by giving us small squire cloth bundles. They each had a small string wrapping it that held it together "when you're ready to set up the tent quickly undo the string and toss it in the desired location" Hestia explained. "Also, here is a device that will set up a small protective barrier around your camp, it can be broken by more powerful monsters, but it will keep out the small, weak ones" my mother said while giving us a small dagger with a button on the bottom of the grip. "Thank you very much Hestia, this will help us a lot" Percy said gratefully to my mother. Hestia smiled "its the least I can do for you, but anyways you all should be heading to camp now, goodluck guardians" and with that we were flashed down to the entrance of camp. "Should we make an entrance?" Percy asked with a mischievous grin "Absolutely Perce" Jason answered with the same mischievous grin.

I don't like where this was going, I was about to protest when Piper put a hand on my shoulder and shook her head "let the boys have their fun, might attract some recruits as well." I sighed in defeat and went along with what the two were going to do. Percy stomped the ground and the ground began to shake while Jason caused lightning to form and strike at the center of camp signalling an arrival as we walked. We all summoned our crowns on our heads while campers began pouring out of their cabins, looking confused as to what was going on. Chiron exited the big house and was shocked to see us with crowns and galloped over to Percy. "What is going on Percy?" he asked as the ground settled and the lightning stopped "call everyone to the amphitheater, we will explain everything there" Percy said with his lopsided grin that I liked. Chiron called everyone to the amphitheater and within minutes all campers were present and waiting for us to explain what was going on.

"Now I'm sure all of you are curious about the crowns we are wearing, we have these crowns because we have been positioned as leaders of a new group of half-bloods" Percy explained loudly so that everyone could hear while sending harsh glares at the Athena children, who looked down in shame. "This new group will be known as the Demi-Guardians and will be charged with dealing with monsters when needed and protecting unclaimed half-bloods while they reside in the mortal world, our first mission takes us to Salt Lake City where we will reside as long as needed" Jason stated just as loudly as Percy. Many of the campers seemed excited over the news while others didn't seem interested, while Percy said "anyone that is interested in joining our group stay seated, those that do not wish to join you are dismissed." A good three fourths of the campers left the amphitheater, but thankfully the campers we had discussed about recruiting were present along with several campers I didn't recognize.

**Jason's POV**

I was glad to see that the people we had talked about recruiting stay behind, but was surprised to see Will and several of the campers from the Apollo cabin stay as well. "Good to see some friendly faces among all of you, now step forward and we shall recruit all of you" Percy stated. Everyone moved forward in front of me and the others while we raised our hands and began to mass energy in the palms of our hands, each a different color, blue for Percy, Red for Ruby, Pink for Piper, and Yellow for me. After a moment we sent our amassed energy out over the group of campers, causing rings decorated in their respected godly heritage and at this they were officially members of our group of guardians. "Welcome new recruits, from here on out you are no longer campers, but guardians of the unprotected half-bloods in the mortal world, you are now Demi-Guardians!" I bellowed, earning a roar of approval from our new guardians.

After the roar of the guardians died down "now everyone meet us in the dining pavilion, but we ask that the following guardians stay behind, Will, Clarisse, Chris, the Stolls, Leo, and Drew" Percy listed off and the respected half-bloods stayed while the rest of the guardians headed towards the pavilion. "May we ask you all for your reasons for joining us" Piper asked respectively and one by one they all gave us their reasons, all mainly had to do with what the Athena cabin did and wanting to support their friends, but having some other reasons like the Stolls wanting to pull more pranks or looking for a change in scenery. At this we all smiled happily, knowing that we had good friends backing us in this "thats good to know, and I think I can speak for the rest of my co-leaders when I ask would you all be our second in commands?" Percy asked with a grin. At first they all were stunned at his proposal and looked at the rest of us, and we all nodded in approval, and almost immediately they accepted gratefully

We performed the recruitment process once again, but this time we granted them bracelets decorated similarly to their rings. "Thank you all for joining us, and accepting these positions considering four people leading over fifty or so people can be a little tough, you are helping us greatly" I said gratefully earning some smiles and highfives from the Stolls and Leo. "Oh before I forget, this is Ruby daughter of Hestia, you may have seen her around camp but she is kinda shy when it comes to new people" Percy said while motioning to Ruby who was now trying to hide behind him, but was having no luck as he kept moving her out in front of him. "Hey Ruby" they all said at the same time, which caused everyone to laugh including Ruby, and after everyone stopped laughing "hello everyone, nice to meet all of you" Ruby said with a smile on her face. "Alright now everyone, we should head to the pavilion to meet up with the rest of the guardians so that we may begin our trek to Salt Lake City" I announced and with that we began to walk to the dining pavilion.


End file.
